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# psycho

noun (a psycho, psychos); adjective (informal)

«psycho» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (slang, rude/offensive) A person who is thought to be dangerously crazy or violent. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/psycho/#m1)
2. (slang) Used loosely to mean very angry, intense or wild: "He went psycho when he lost." [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/psycho/#m2)
3. (informal) Short for psychology or psychological in words like psychoanalysis; a prefix «psycho-» meaning mind. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/psycho/#m3)

### In the lessons

In films and stories villains are called psychos; in playground slang kids say someone «went psycho». It is unkind and mocks people with mental illness, so careful speakers avoid it. As a prefix in science words (psychology, psychotherapy) it means «mind». Phrases: «go psycho», «a total psycho».

### Examples

- (slang) "My brother went psycho when I broke his game." [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/psycho/#x1)
- (rude) The villain in the film was a psycho. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/psycho/#x2)
- Calling someone a psycho is unkind. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/psycho/#x3)
- Psychology is the study of the mind — «psycho-» means mind. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/psycho/#x4)
- "Don't be so psycho about it, it's only a game!" [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/psycho/#x5)
- The teacher said not to use the word «psycho» as an insult. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/psycho/#x6)

### Note

Plural: psychos. Silent p: SY-ko. Slang and offensive; prefer «very angry», «out of control». Not a medical word. The prefix «psycho-» in proper words (psychology) is fine.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «psycho» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/psycho/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«psycho» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/psycho.html) on Mova free.